A Man's Defeat
by A. G. Moria
Summary: My words come from experience. My subordinates... They were famed, far and wide... Why did I have to lose them all...! My friends were lost to me precisely because they were still alive! If they had all been zombies, dead from the start, I would have lost nothing! But they were alive... And I did lose them... But why did it have to end like this...?


**Truth be told, I'd searched the web trying to find a story about Gecko Moria directly after he had been beaten by Kaidou but couldn't find one. Thus, I have created this one shot to sum up what occurred directly after his defeat.**

**It may only be about two thousand words, but I poured all that I have with my talent of writing into this fanfic. I am pleased with it and I hope that you readers are pleased with it as well.**

**With that said, enjoy~!**

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Lightning pierced through the sky, illuminating the soggy and dank docks and piers that skirted the shoreline of an island. A sharp wind forced millions of raindrops to plop down into the frigid water's surface as the water began to shift and ripple as movement disturbed its melancholy.

Water splashed as a heavy body made its way closer and closer to the muddy grasses and marshes. Trembling fingers emerged from the water as the tall being floated ashore; clenching every now and then from spasms. Deep, shallow and husky breathes could be heard being forced from the person's throat, proving its long tiring journey; every now and then a growl escaping from it.

The sky became illuminated once more as another bolt of lightning shot through the sky, and a younger Moria could see his destination more clearly for just that brief second. The rain poured harder on the man's tattered form, feeling like tiny knifes hitting against his beaten, bruised and torn skin; yet his mind was currently too wrapped up on its one source of misery and heartache.

For just those few, precious years he had never lost. For that short amount of time, Gecko Moria was on top of the world. After so many years of fighting to get there, it had been taken from him in a matter of seconds; all thanks to the sheer raw power that his rival had thrown against him and his crew. Oh, how his blood ran cold through his veins at the sheer memory of his failure! To have allowed himself to be beaten and having his entire crew pay the price for his pride making him except the Yonko's challenge!

The ferocious man stepped further out of the water in his bare hands; having lost his best shoes somewhere between the battleground Kaidou had beaten him on and the ocean currents that carried him here. No matter; they were trivial things. He continued walking, glaring straight ahead of him and gasping in both exhaustion and outrage. He didn't care that his clothes were far beyond repair, no longer recognizable since they were now rags that clung to his wet and filthy body. His giant scissors were sheathed and behind him like a pair of snakes in the tall grass.

Several yards away, hidden behind one of the many piers, a drunk hollered out in pain and anger; yet Moria paid no mind to it. In the state he was in, he could kill anything or anyone that crossed his path. _"Except that damn Kaidou," _he reminded himself bitterly. All he cared about was getting onto actual land and finding the best way to find revenge on that damn son of a bitch.

Oh, how he longed to wrap his hands around that Yonko's throat and tear it to shreds with his nails! How he yearned to have another go at that bastard and kill him!

That was just his initial reaction however. If Moria was truly honest with himself, he knew he would never be able to face the Yonko as soon as he would like. No. He'd just lost his crew, his ship and his pride. Being there, in the moment; Kaidou had thrashed and sliced at Moria's already beaten body to the point where he was clinging for dear life.

He had worked so hard to achieve his dream of becoming the Pirate King and for Kaidou to come out of nowhere, after Moria and his crew had just finished winning a battle against another pirate crew, he had lost all control and had wanted to kill him for daring to cross him.

Death was too kind, in his opinion; especially a death the Yonko would have met on the battlefield had things gone differently. Simply dying took the fun out of it and if Moria was truly honest with himself, he would never know what to do with himself if Kaidou was ever taken from the world by someone's hand other than his own.

The rain continued to pour down harder than ever on the man and yet the seething pirate captain ignored the elements of the weather, never stopping his walk until he was once in the town of the island that he had drifted to.

The sewers alongside the streets were in full operation due to the storm that was forcefully making its way through, leaving the sewers more disgusting and grimy than those pipes would usually look like. Puddles littered the stone ground as Moria walked closer to the wine barrels that were lined up on the side of a bar. Moria's body continued to heave and his breathing never ceased being clouded with fury and aggression as he stepped before the pathetic sight that was a couple of drunk pirates walking out of the bar.

They were possibly pirate who'd spent months to a year at sea judging by the way they had made themselves comfortable by cracking open whatever bottles of alcohol they could pour down their throats.

Moria scowled down at the thieves and crooks that considered themselves pirates as they lay scattered on the cement floor half asleep and drunken out of their minds. He followed the trail of fallen drunks into the bar.

One of them hiccupped themselves into a more wakened state and the male's eyes landed on Moria, whose wake was enough to shatter anyone's nerves. He'd probably recognized him from his wanted posted, but right now Moria looked like he had just been dragged to Hell and then spat back out. He was dripping wet with more than just ocean water. A thick line of red liquid was dripping down into the floor along with the rest of the water falling from him. By this time, Moria had regained a bit more of his breath and lost a slight fraction of his initially haggard breath, though his chest still rose and fell violently.

Moria's face was contorted into a vicious snarl, his sharp teeth no longer being hidden by his usual smug or quirky smile. His nose flared, his stared down at the young man who was sober enough to take note of his presence.

"G- G- Gecko M- M- Moria!" he squeaked fretfully. He was wearing a loose orange tank top with a simple bandana tied around his head, which slipped off his head due to his incessant trembling. He turned his head ever so slightly, his eyes never leaving Moria's, to call over to the others. "G- G- Guy's! I- It's M- Moria!" He said this loudly, hoping that everyone would pay attention for fear of angering Moria. Two of the men snapped their eyes open at the revelation that the vicious pirate of their time was lingering in the same bar as them.

Some had heard word that he was challenging other pirate crews around the New World, beating each and every one of them with his crew by his side. Some had even heard that he was looking to challenge a Yonko, and judging by Moria's appearance, things did not go according his plans.

The two men quickly stood, swaggering greatly as they did so. They took a few steps back while doing so, their dulled minds working slower than usual. "Moria!" they cried out in unison. They too began to tremble, clutching onto each other after Moria pushed past them, slowly walking like a dead corpse until he stood before the hearth that rested on the left side of the bar. He disregarded them, his eyes flashing over the little dancing flames that mirrored his burning rage.

Moria slowly started removing one of the three knives that were still stuck in him while the other pirates anxiously stood around him; having awakened from their drunken stupors enough to know they should pay attention in case he tried to slaughter any of them.

After several long, agonizing minutes of watching him yank the knives out of himself, one of them gulped loudly in fear; wringing his hat in his hands, and took a step towards Moria. "Oi… So, eh… So… What're ya doin' here- Lasts we's heard of ya- Ya were goin' up against Kaidou-"

The poor man never had a chance to finish, for Moria's arm jutted out as quickly as a flash, his claws wrapping around the man's neck instantly and draining all the air out of the pirate's lungs. The weaker pirate's eyes widened and his mouth gaped in mid scream as he grasped at Moria's hand to try to get away. Moria twisted his wrist ever so slightly, his eyes never leaving the fire, and the pirate's body went limp after a sickening snap echoed throughout the room.

Horror spread throughout the other men in the room, some of them close to tears, others having to look away in hopes they didn't get sick. Moria finally turned to them, scowling. "No one is ever to say that bastard's name in my presence…" he snarled behind gritted teeth, his voice deep with ire. "Only I am allowed to say his name. Understand?!"

The other men nodded and mumbled their agreement as they stumbled backwards in their attempt to move closer to the exit. The last they had heard was that Moria had disappeared a few days ago. The details were clearly lacking; though surely within a week's time, everything will be figured out by the time the Sunday paper comes out.

Moria could simply do nothing but stare at the fire before him. He had lost. He had lost everything. He had lost everything that he'd spent most of his life trying to obtain. Blast that bastard Yonko to Hell! It was such a disgrace to know one had been beaten in such a way that he had been. But come Heaven or Hell, Moria would have his revenge! The Yonko would pay, one day at least. Moria was not going to make any more mistakes. His mistake: Challenging that bastard with a crew that could be beaten, a crew that could be killed. All he had to do with use his powers to obtain a crew which could not die, and then victory would be his!

…But none of that would stop the pain of loss seeping its way into his heart. He had, after all, just lost his nakama. The closest- if only- friends he had actually ever let near him with no doubt in his mind that they wouldn't try to hurt him. They would only try the best that they could do if only to help their captain get farther ahead in the race for the title Pirate King. …And now they can never hope to do such a thing ever again. They can't even hope. They're all dead.

"My subordinates..." the loss had changed his face from hopeful to heartbroken once more. "They were famed, far and wide... Why did I have to lose them all...?! My friends… All of them! Gone! If only… If only…" Something within his mind subconsciously snapped. "If only they were dead from the start, I would have lost nothing!" An insane smile crept onto his face. "If they were zombie then they would've been invulnerable! Eternal warriors that can never be killed"! He cackled loudly to himself, pleased to find a way to defeat Kaidou, all while bottling up his true feelings over the current situation.

Still denying his true loss, he reached out with a bloody hand to grab himself a bottle of booze, a devilish, insane smile appearing on his face. Victory would one day be his with the assistance of an undead army.

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**The End.**


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